


Goodnight, Sweet Prince...

by Nebblestheskele



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Human, Assassin Red, Honestly just yeeting this here because I need more self indulgent Rapr content, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Indulgent, Spoiled Prince Purple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-28 00:42:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20957612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nebblestheskele/pseuds/Nebblestheskele
Summary: Ever wonder what it'd be like if the prince you were hired to assassinate suddenly decided you were cute and wanted you to live in his castle with him? Neither did Red, but here he is anyways. This is honestly an extremely self indulgent Human!AU I've been developing on the side for Red and Purple, and it's just another excuse for them to be really gay and sometimes stupid





	1. Chapter 1

“So, what do you think? Do we have ourselves a deal?” A shrill voice muttered in a hushed tone, it’s owner fidgeting about rather nervously as they spoke. This older man had good reason to be acting so tense, and the fact this was his first time ever hiring a contracted killer made it no easier. Not to mention the killer in question was so calm and collected about all of it, their seeming experience with all this really put the man on edge.

**“Hmm … Well, I think it’d be an easy enough job to take care of. Though if you’re really serious about this, I think the pay needs to be a bit higher.”** The tall assassin hummed with a sigh, resting a hand under his chin as he waited for a response from his client. He knew the pay he was being offered would be more than worth the work, but he liked pushing his luck and this man seemed rather desperate honestly.

“What?! Three hundred gold coins aren’t enough for you?! How much more could you even ask for?!” The man didn’t seem too keen on putting too much more money towards hiring this assassin, but that didn’t seem to deter the other at all. This wasn’t the first time someone’s come to hire him and grown upset at the high prices he’s asked for, but in such a shady business it really wasn’t too hard to persuade clients to shell out the money.

**“Oh, I could certainly ask for much more. I could also refuse your offer entirely as well, though I really wouldn’t recommend you let things come to that.”** The assassin sauntered closer to the man, leaning down a bit to meet his gaze with a rather cocky look in those ruby eyes of his. **“Do you know how much anyone else in my line of work would charge you for this kind of job? Sure, killing the man who stole our wife away from you doesn’t seem like much to ask for, but have you ever thought about what we have to go through after the deed is done? Do you know how much it costs to keep guards quiet and bribed? Or how much it costs to get the proper equipment to be able to follow through with the contract? It’s really a hefty number of gold my friend, and I simply ask for enough payment to actually be able to make a profit in this hard business.”**

The man almost looked intimidated by the assassin who now seemed to tower over him all of a sudden, and now that he thought about it he really didn’t know where else to find another assassin around here. There was a bit of a tense silence, and the assassin only grew more and more daunting to the man as it went on. Eventually the man broke the silence with his answer.

“...Alright, alright fine. I think I can manage to find fifty or so more gold for you. But I’ll only give you it after the job is done." The man anxiously muttered, not feeling all too proud of himself at the moment. However the assassin gave a delighted chuckle, giving the man a firm pat on the shoulder before he walked over to the door to the room they both stood in.

**"Ah, smart man … But bump it up to 80 gold and make sure you have it for me within the next two days."** The assassin spoke rather nonchalantly as he held the door open for the other, holding a hand out expectantly as he waited for him. The man sputtered rather unhappily and rather incoherently, but he didn't disagree with the assassin's terms either. He also seemed to understand the gesture, and handed the other a nicely weighted bag of gold before leaving without another word.

**"Nice doing business with you, I can assure you that fiend who ruined your life will certainly get what's coming to him."** The assassin mused as his client finally walked out the door, not wasting any time in shutting and locking the door the moment he could. After that he couldn’t help but laugh quietly to himself. Man this job just kept getting easier and easier. It really was amusing to see how much money he could wring out from people, and it was even better to actually get a big profit out of it too. Sure it wasn’t the nicest thing to take advantage of his clients like that, but when your business is literally killing people you could really care less about that fact.

**“Well Red, you’ve definitely earned yourself at least a few good nights of drinking for the next week~”** He hummed to himself, giving an admiring glance to his newly acquired funds. With a content sigh he tossed the bag of gold onto the night stand next to his bed for the night. He was pretty glad he had decided to make a stop in this town and stay at the local in for the night now. Red stretched out a bit before walking over to the table where a majority of his gear was laid out for the night, double checking that everything was accounted for and in relatively good condition. The handful of daggers he had were all clean and sharp, and his short sword was in the same fine condition. There was a bit of a frown as his gaze came to the crossbow he had brought along, which had sustained a bit of damage earlier in the day. Right, he had almost completely forgotten the string on it had snapped when some drunk had decided to get a bit rowdy with him at a nearby tavern. It was really quite a shame, and honestly a pretty big inconvenience. Well, at least he had some time to fix it up before going to bed for the night. 

He’d be doing some reconnaissance tomorrow on his new mark, which from what his client had told him, would be at a nearby general store conducting some business. Red didn’t really think he would at all need to use his crossbow, or really any of his other weapons while out gathering information, but he’d rather be safe than sorry. That’s how he’s stayed alive this long after all. He gave a heavy sigh before grabbing a seat and beginning his repairs. It wouldn’t be too long of a night, but honestly Red was a little restless to get this contract over with. Oh well, best not to focus on that for now. He’s have a long day ahead of him tomorrow anyways.

  


\----------The Next Day----------

  


It really hadn’t taken Red long to find his mark in the morning, after all the large man was a fairly wealthy merchant and clearly loved to flaunt his wealth. His fancy apparel really stuck out in the drab crowd of the local residents, who were all mostly low class and impoverished citizens. There was a slight shudder that ran down Red’s spine as he thought about those poor miserable townsfolk, even if he lived his life on the run and in the shadows he was more than happy to not have to live like they do anymore. He shook his slightly trying to recenter his focus, now wasn’t the time to be getting distracted by thoughts of his past.

Red had been shadowing his mark since he found him this morning buying luxurious pastries at the bakery, and so far this man’s morning routine seemed to be stopping at various shops to flaunt his money and buy things he honestly didn’t really need. That didn’t surprise Red too much though, it was rather typical for people to get caught up in their wealth and egos. Now that he thought about it though, Red hoped he never came off anything like this fat merchant who was literally too big for his britches. That would be pretty embarrassing to be someone that could be compared to this unpleasant man. He shook his head again, he really needed to stop getting so distracted by his thoughts. If only those crossbow repairs hadn’t taken longer than he expected, then maybe he might have gotten more sleep.

Red raised a brow though as he finally noticed the merchant actually arrived at the general store that he was informed to be overseeing some business at. He had honestly expected the man to take at least another hour to get here with how he had been going about all the other stores. It was surprising yes, but Red was glad they finally arrived. He had been starting to grow bored of watching this sad man try to look better than he really is.

The merchant sauntered in the front doors of the store, though Red hung back for a few moments before he eventually followed him in. The bell above the door chimed lightly as he entered and someone behind the counter gave him a soft greeting. He only gave a curt nod before he walked off to browse through some of the goods the store had on display, giving a pretty good impression of a customer who didn’t want to be bothered too much. It didn’t take him too long to relocate where his mark had gone to, and to find a decent spot to eavesdrop on him as well. He picked up a satchel and pretended to give it a careful look over as he listened in on what his mark now seemed to be bragging about to whatever poor soul was stuck with him.

“I’m telling you, it’s the most lavished place I’ve been to! The architecture is beautiful, and the Duke gives the warmest of welcomes! It’s actually quite an honor to have been a guest at his castle.”

“Ah, I see...And why exactly was this brought up again? I was fairly certain we were discussing investments today-”

“Yes yes, I’m getting to that. You see the Duke is holding a rather extravagant party at his castle near the town here later tonight, around sundown to be exact. There will surely be many wealthy people there, some of which I’m certain you could convince to make an investment or two in your little store here. That’s how I started out, and now look at me!”

“Oh yes, I know, you’re one of the wealthiest merchants in the area, I think we’ve all got that down.”

Well, Red was glad he wasn’t the only one who was getting annoyed by the fat man’s arrogance. He did suppose he’d heard enough information from his mark now though, letting out a soft huff as he carried the satchel in his hand over to the person at the counter who had greeted him when he walked in. It wasn’t a horrible satchel and he had been considering finding something like it for any future traveling he might be doing. Plus it might help him seem a bit less suspicious than walking out of the store without buying anything. After the purchase was complete, Red left the store and walked out to an open square. He glanced about a bit trying to scan the horizon, and eventually found the large castle in the distance. He hadn’t given the place much thought when he saw it upon his arrival to this town, but now he had a reason to pay more attention to it.

It wouldn’t be a horrible idea to take down the merchant at the party, but Red would need much more information if he was going to do it without drawing too much attention. Luckily he had until sundown, which was pretty much almost the whole day to gather the intel he needed.

Hopefully it wouldn’t take him too long to get things set up for tonight, because honestly, it'd be a bit tiring to have to try and set something else up tomorrow. Either way, he has a fair bit of work to do, and not a whole lot of time to dawdle if he wanted his mark dead.

  


\----------Later That Night----------

  


As the sun set, the castle’s bright and welcoming air stayed and was rather hard to ignore. The merchant spoke truly, both about the Duke’s warm welcomes and just how extortionate the party was. Red was almost a little disappointed he couldn’t stay to enjoy it, it really did look like it’d make for a fun night. He was here to work though, and not many people would still be having fun after his mark was killed.

It was pretty easy to find a way to get into the castle unnoticed, and stopping by earlier to bribe a few of the servants to look the other way and show him the rather hidden pathways and halls they all used to quickly navigate the large castle was rather helpful as well. Red spared no time in finding a good spot to stake out at and wait for his target to make an appearance. He had spent a bit of time earlier examining one of the open patios near the castle’s garden, and found a nice low balcony that had an open view and didn’t draw too much attention to itself. Red planned to wait for the merchant to step into his view, and from his vantage point, easily and discreetly shoot his mark with a poisoned dart. He had taken the time to readjust the potency of one of his own homemade concoctions just for this occasion, after all his mark was a large man and he didn’t want there to be any chances the poison wouldn’t kill him quick enough.

Red’s patience soon paid off, as the merchant soon drunkenly stumbled out onto the patio. No wonder he was so fat, the man didn’t waste any time on indulging in food and ales. There was a slightly younger woman being dragged along behind the merchant, and Red could only assume that was his client’s previous wife. She really didn’t seem to enthused about this man, but apparently actually liking him didn’t matter when he was stinking rich. Oh well, she wouldn’t be mooching off him any longer anyways.

It took a few moments of waiting and intensely observing the two of them, but Red finally managed to spot a window for him to take his shot. He readied his dart gun, carefully taking aim. It seemed like countless moments passed as he stayed there, so still and poised. Until finally he saw his perfect shot, and took it with no hesitation. The dart hit it’s target spot on, which happened to be the back of the fat man’s neck. Even after his blow had landed, Red stayed completely still, observing his mark.

The merchant let out a bit of an unpleasant noise as he felt something pinch the back of his neck, and almost immediately slapped the area in question. Red could hear the woman mutter something to the man, only assuming she was asking what just happened. The man however in his drunken state hadn’t even noticed that he had been hit with a _ dart _and when he pulled his hand back to look at it, started to laugh rather loud and robustly. It wasn’t hard to hear him pass the prick off as some sort of bug bite, after all he had shown what a boisterous drunk he was in just the few minutes Red has seen him here.

At this point Red had finally started to get his gear together, getting ready to flee the castle and head off to collect the rest of his coin. Once his gear was gathered and concealed he began to casually make his way to an exit through one of the hidden halls. He did however pause briefly near an entryway that was near the main hall, where a majority of the guest had been congregating. He could hear quite a commotion, and a lot of guests muttering in a rather nervous manner. He didn’t stick around too much longer, and by the time he heard someone let out a piercing shriek, the assassin had already made his way out the door. Red couldn’t help but smile to himself a bit, feeling this was another job well done. That feeling didn’t last too much longer though.

The undeniable sound of a twig snapping underneath someone’s foot came from behind him and as Red snapped his head back to look and was met with nothing in sight, he suddenly felt that paranoia of being watched. He hated that feeling more than anything. Now on edge, the assassin swiftly began making his way to meet up with his client, but he still just couldn’t shake the feeling he was being followed. The sooner he could collect his gold, the sooner he could get the hell out of here and forget all about this shoddy town. He just hoped if someone _ was _ following him, they wouldn’t cause him too much trouble.

  


\----------Later, at the Inn----------

  


Red kept giving paranoid glances around himself, still unable to feel like he wasn’t being watched by someone. From what he could tell no one had tailed him back to the inn, but there could always be the possibility that whoever was following him knew what they were doing and were able to stay out of his sights. He didn’t like that thought at all, it scared him honestly. He finally made it to the room he knew his client had been staying in, and he hoped for the love of god this man had those coins ready for him. He gave a soft knock to the room’s door, and was rather unsettled to find that the door creaked open upon the contact. He didn’t like that one bit, and his other hand rested nervously against the hilt of his shortsword as he cautiously pushed the door open. The room was dead silent, and nothing unordinary stuck out as he glanced in from where he stood at the door way. Still, the air held a heavy tension to it and didn’t help calm any of Red’s growing suspicions. He took a step into the room, turning his head to get a glance at the out of sight corners which he almost immediately regretted.

Laying on the floor in the corner of the room next to the bed was his client, dead as a doornail and adorned with a scarlet hole in his chest. He knew it. He knew something bad was going on. Why didn’t he listen to that horrible feeling in his gut? Did eighty gold coins really mean that much to him?? Apparently so, otherwise he would have booked it out of town the second he left the Duke’s castle. Red was ready to just turn back and get the hell out of here when he heard the floor boards behind him creek, and his next move of drawing his sword and pointing it directly at his client’s assumed assailant wasn’t at all unexpected.

The end of Red’s sword was met with a rather broad and heavy looking man, draped in a cloak that so far did a relatively decent job at hiding it’s wearer’s identity. It was hard to tell honestly, but the man seemed to keep a calm expression despite having a weapon pointed at him.

**“Who the hell are you? You a friend of that merchant? I’m sorry about that, but business is business buddy, no hard feelings.” **

“I have no association to that pathetic whelp of a man. Honestly you were doing this town a favor.”

**“...Huh, interesting. Then do you care explaining why my client here has ended up with a similar fate as him? He still owed me quite a bit.”**

The man gave Red no verbal response, and only tossed a coin purse at him. Red was able to catch it with no problem, and still managed to keep his blade steadily poised at the other. After a quick once over of the purse, he realized it was the rest of his pay for his contract. Well, this was a bit confusing honestly.

“This was the only place that you’d be guaranteed to be found after the assassination. He was too noisy and annoying to keep around, he would have made things much more difficult if he was alive.” The man bluntly explained. He then slowly brought his hand up and casually pushed the blade aside. “I have no quarrel with you or you’re work here tonight. In fact, I was sent here to hire your services by my superior.”

Again, this was a rather confusing night for Red. He stayed silent for a few moments, keeping a wary eye on the man who claimed to mean him no harm. He had given him the rest of his cut from his now dead client, which was what had brought Red here in the first place. The man was even offering another contract for him. However Red still couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about all of this ...Though, it ...probably wouldn’t hurt to hear the man out, right?

**“So … What exactly did this superior of yours have in mind then?”**

“Something that’s worth your while, I can assure you.”

**“That’s nice to hear and all, but I’d like some more details than just that.”**

“Well, I can certainly indulge you, as long as your not picky about your targets.”

**“Listen bud, as long as the gold is worth the trouble, my targets identity doesn’t matter. Hell, I killed an old woman to help her grandson get his inheritance early. He gave me a priceless family heirloom. I couldn’t have cared less she was a seventy year old woman.”**

“Alright, I got it, I think you’ve made your point clear enough.”

**“Good, now please give me more details about this contract you want before I decide to leave.”**

There was a bit of a pause after Red had said that, and for a second he really thought this man was going to wait for him to walk out the door. He didn’t though, the man did something else that Red wasn’t expecting at all. He had pulled a _ very _ large and _ very _full sack which was absolutely brimming with gold out from somewhere under his cloak, and dropped it on the nearby table. That had certainly caught Red’s attention, and suddenly gave him the urge to take this just a bit more seriously.

“This will be your first portion of payment. You’ll be given a secondary payment when you meet with my superior, and receive full payment after your job has been successfully completed.”

**“...That’s quite a large amount of gold your offering. Who exactly do you plan to have me kill? A king?”**

“Not exactly. You'd be killing a prince”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red finally learns more details about his new contract, and things are looking pretty good for him. The big night doesn't go as planned though, and after having a bit of a talk with the Prince he was supposed to kill, it takes a rather unexpected turn.

Red let out a deep sigh as he stretched out a bit in the back of the carriage he was riding in, honestly still pretty uneasy about the recent events that had taken place in the past day or so. He still couldn’t really believe someone’s lackey had been able to find him with such apparent ease, and that was just to track him down and hire his services. He hated the thought of what would have happened if they had been trying to find him to kill him. Though he supposed he should be pretty thankful things turned out the way they did. With all the money he was being offered for this contract? He’d pretty much be set up for the rest of his life, or at least a pretty damn large majority of it anyways. Whoever this guy hiring him was, he was pretty eager to get this prince out of the way. Red shifted a bit where he sat after the carriage jolted from a rut in the road, resting his eyes a bit as he still pondered about the details of last night.

**“A prince? Well, royalty is still royalty I guess.”**

“So, are you up to the contract then?”

**“...Mm, I don’t have much else to do after this. I suppose I can take it.”**

“Good, start making preparations to leave. There’ll be a carriage coming in the morning to take you to the capitol.”

**“Wow, you uh, really want this guy dead soon then, huh?”**

“I personally couldn’t care less when he dies, but my superior can tend to grow … impatient. I wouldn’t keep them waiting for too long.”

Another jostling bump pulled Red out of his memories, and he grumbled a bit to himself. You’d think with how loaded these guys were they’d be able to afford a better carriage. Oh well, the more he thought about it the less he could blame them. He probably wouldn’t have wanted to bring an assassin to meet up with him in a nice fancy carriage either, it would draw way too much attention. He let out another sigh. Why did the capitol have to be so far away? The ride had been absolutely dreadful so far. Though the fact the mysterious man who came to seek him out was riding right across from him probably didn’t help too much. He still wore a heavy cloak, apparently still keen on hiding his identity for as long as he could. Red couldn’t blame him for that either honestly. 

He really wished it wasn’t so awkward though. Usually the more time he has to spend with his clients made things that way, after all who would want to spend that much time with the shady stranger you’re hiring to kill someone? Regardless, he hated the odd and awkward silence that seemed to fill the air. Whatever, hopefully he could find something else to take his mind off of it, and that the carriage ride wouldn’t take too much longer.

  
  


\----------A Few Hours Later----------

  
  


There was a faint huff from Red as he hopped out of the musty carriage, finally relieved to have arrived at their destination. He stretched his arms out a bit as he turned his gaze back to the mysterious man, waiting for him to exit the carriage and give him more details. He didn’t particularly care for how little information the man would share at a single time, and he could only assume that they were going to be heading somewhere else on foot from here. They had stopped near the edges of a marketplace and while some shady stuff happens in marketplaces, Red knew for a fact it was way too open of a location to discuss the details of such an important contract.

“This way.” The man gestured as he finally spoke, clearly cuing for Red to follow him. Red trailed behind the man without a single word, curiously gazing at their surroundings as he did so. The farther they walked the more Red noticed the slight lower in quality of the areas they were in, until eventually they ended up in a pretty shady looking part of the capitol. That wasn’t too surprising considering the circumstances.

They eventually came to a building that look like some sort of tavern or inn, or maybe even both honestly. The man guided Red in, and took the lead to bring him back to what could only be assumed to be a private room in the back. Nothing good ever happened in a private room in the back of a shady tavern. Absolutely  _ nothing _ .

Upon entering the room, the man who brought him all the way here was fairly quick to close and lock the door behind them. That wasn’t too surprising to Red, in fact it was a pretty common practice in this line of work. No, what really surprised Red was how much better the quality of the room was compared to everywhere else in this place. It was honestly lavishly furnished for a private back room, and it really made him think about how often his new client spent time here. Speaking of, Red’s gaze didn’t take long to find the extravagantly engraved desk that sat in the middle of the room, it’s owner sitting in an equally extravagant chair with their back towards Red. They seemed to be watching the fireplace that crackled faintly behind the desk, and Red started thinking about why anyone would blow so much money on a room in such a junky old tavern.

“So, is this the assassin?” A rather shrewd and cracked voice rasped, clearly coming from the person who sat in the chair in front of them. Red hated how they sounded, their voice almost seemed unnatural. 

“Yes. I brought him to you ask quickly as possible, just as you requested.” The cloaked man replied, giving a slight bow of his head as he did so.

“Good … Very good. I hope your journey wasn’t too arduous.” The voice droned, now directed towards Red.

**“I can’t really complain too much. After all, I didn’t have to pay for it.”**

There was a low chuckle in response to Red’s answer, followed by a faint sigh.

“Yes, money seems to be what it’s all about now a days. And I hope what you’ve received so far will suffice for a payment.” There was a heavy clattering as a rather sizable bag of gold was tossed onto the desk. “It assume it should make the job worth the trouble for you.”

There was a bit of a pause before Red slowly approached the desk, grabbing the heft bag and giving it a good look over.

**“If what the big guy back there said about there being another one of these after the prince kicks the bucket is true, then yes, the amount does make it worthwhile.”**

“Good, I’m glad to hear that. I’m assuming that you’ll be wanting some more details about your mark, yes?”

**“Well it would certainly help assure the job gets done.”**

“Oh it most certainly would” The voice said with a chuckle before continuing on. “The prince in question is an only child, and therefore the only immediate aire to the throne. However, not only is he extremely inexperience, he’s an arrogant and pompous brat who believes he can get away with whatever he wants.”

**“So, I’m assuming somehow his sudden death benefits you in a way that lets you control the kingdom then?**

“Yes, I suppose you could say that. Anyways, back to the details. Tonight there will be a rather important dinner at the castle, a show of hospitality for some important guests. The prince almost always finds a way to leave such events early to retire to his room for the night. You will be provided with a way into the castle with little to no suspicion, and be given ample opportunities to sneak into the princes chambers. All sorts of equipment will be provided if you so need, but all I request it that you make it a quiet kill.”

**“That’s very doable, though you seem to have already done most of my work for me here.”**

“Of course, it’s an easy job with an overwhelming pay.”

**“I’m guessing the catch is I’m your scapegoat if things don’t go according to plan.”**

“Ah, yes. I guess you’ve seen through my deceptive plan then, hmm? You’re more than welcome to decline my offer.”

**“No no, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I just prefer you don’t leave out too many details like that.”**

There was another chuckle from Red’s secretive client, and a rather uncomfortably long moment of silence passed.

“So, can you do the job? Can you guarantee me the prince’s death?”

**“Of course. With how easy you’re making this? You can expect some rather unfortunate news about the prince by tomorrow morning.”**

“That’s what I like to hear. Now, you better be on your way. You’ve got a dinner party to get to.”

  
  


\----------Later that evening----------

  
  


Red’s client really hadn’t been kidding about just how easy it was going to be for him to get into the castle. The cloaked man had brought him in through one of the servants entrances with no problems whatsoever, and the fact he seemed to know that this entrance would have little to no traffic for the night really added to it all. The man gave him instructions and even a roughly sketched out map of the castle and servant passages scattered through it, almost ensuring there would be no way Red would miss the Prince’s room. All this really got Red thinking just how much power his client had in this castle. Probably a lot honestly, considering this was his client’s whole plan to take rule over the kingdom.

It wasn’t hard for Red to sneak about the castle itself either, those servant passages really did seem to do wonders for this kind of work. He wasted no time in locating the prince’s quarters, though the night was still young and there were still no signs of the prince to be found. Red figured it wouldn’t hurt to go find the dining hall and scope out his mark. He’d get a better idea of what exactly he was in for by killing this man, not to mention he seemed to have time to kill and was going to grow extremely bored just sitting and waiting in the prince’s room. Curiosity was a dangerous thing, but Red never minded taking a risk or two every once and a while.

Not long after sneaking about, Red was able to find the dining hall where quite the commotion seemed to be going on. It was a rather merry sight honestly, with all the dinner guest stuffing themselves with luxurious food and ale. Red was almost jealous of the sight honestly, though a particular sight really stood out to him. A particularly tall and lean man clad in a deep purple sat at the table, honestly looking rather exhausted. He sat with his legs crossed in his chair, and would occasionally run a hand through his pale golden locks. The man was clearly bored out of his mind despite how much fun everyone else at the table seemed to be having. Red couldn’t help but get his attention so caught up on the man though. From the descriptions he was given, this was obviously his mark for the night. However, that fact didn’t stop the assassin from admiring the prince. Red couldn’t lie, he was honestly a rather attractive man. It really was such a shame he’d be killing him so soon.

Red however had gotten so caught up in his thoughts and slight infatuation that he had almost forgotten where he was and what he was doing, so when the prince seemed to cast a glance in his direction Red got a little panicked. He was quick and calm enough to quickly dodge out of sight and retreat to a far enough distance to hopefully avoid further incident, and seeing as how there was no change in the mood or atmosphere he could tell he lucked out. That was close, way too close. Red couldn’t even remember the last time he had made a blunder like that, what the hell was wrong with him? He pushed his thoughts aside, he needed to get his ass to the prince’s room and fast. He wasn’t going to risk blowing this contract again, and would put up with any boredom and wait for his mark like he should have done in the first place. Once in the prince’s chambers, Red found a decent spot one of the corners of the room where the prince would almost certainly be able to detect his presence. Or at least he really hoped. Now Red had a few worries and doubts about tonight, though he was pretty good at shoving those thoughts aside to actually focus on his job.

Red had honestly expected to wait a lot longer for his mark to show up, but the prince seemed to be full of surprises tonight. The assassin had only been waiting in the prince’s room for only ten or so minutes, which was a pretty short amount of time honestly. Red had to push down the thoughts of concern he had and focus every bit of effort he had in remaining silent and unnoticed. The prince still seemed oblivious to the fact that someone else was in the room with him, trailing a hand along the vanity that sat against one of the walls as he walked to one of the big open windows of his room. He still looked rather bored, or maybe something was just on his mind as he gazed out at the night sky. Either way, the prince had given Red an opening, and god be damned if he wasn’t going to take it.

Ever so slowly and ever so carefully, Red crept his way out of the shadows. He was funneling every bit of concentration he had to get as close to the prince before he was noticed. The closer he was, the better his killing blow would be. Unfortunately, Red’s window was about to abruptly shut on him all thanks to the small mirror on the vanity, which had allowed the prince to catch a glimpse of his assailant. Damn it all. Red wasn’t as close as he would have liked to be, but he needed to act now before the prince got a chance to do anything else.

He tackled the prince down to the ground, able to get a decent enough grip to pin him down. He wasted no time in trying to plunge the dagger he had drawn into the prince’s chest, or slit his throat if he could manage. The prince didn’t seem like he’d go down without a fight though, and was able to get enough of a grip on Red’s arms to keep the dagger from being driven into him. The prince was a bit stronger than Red was expecting, and he seemed to be able to tell too. There was a particularly smug look from the prince before he took the chance to headbutt Red, which not only dazed the assassin, but threw him off guard long enough for the prince to quite literally flip the tables and pin Red down to the ground before smacking the dagger he held away. This had never happened to Red before, and was certainly a rather large blow to his pride.

Red struggled against the prince like his life depended on it, and for all he knew it really did. Despite his best efforts though, the prince seemed to know what he was doing and did a surprisingly good job at keeping Red down. Well shit, this  _ really  _ wasn’t good.

**“Get the hell off me!”** Red hissed, trying to knee or elbow the prince, anything to give him a chance to break free. The prince gave Red no such opportunities though, and the assassin seemed to run out of luck.

_ “And why exactly should I do that? You were the one who was trying to kill me in the first place.” _

**“It’s not like it’s anything personal!”**

_ “Really? Since when did murder stop being the kind of thing you take personally?” _

**“Since it’s my job asshole! I’m sorry someone wants you dead, but I’ve got to make a living somehow!!”** Red tried another attempt at breaking free of the prince’s grasp, but still had no luck. He was growing extremely nervous at this point, why hadn’t the prince called for a guard or someone yet? Not to mention the way the prince seemed so casual about this situation was really starting to weird him out.

_ “Wow, for someone in your position, you’re pretty mouthy. I could have you killed for that you know.” _

**“Oh please, like you’re not already going to have me killed for an attempt on your life.”**

_ “There it is again. Do all hired killers have this much attitude?” _

**“Yes, fuck you.”**

_ “Absolutely unbelievable. No one’s ever had the guts to speak to me like that.” _

**“Well sorry for hurting your feelings prince, but it’s not uncommon for people to get pissy in a situation like this.” ** There was no sincerity in Red’s apology, and the amount of sarcasm his tone held would have been sharp enough to pierce steel honestly. Still, despite all the hostility and aggression Red had been showing towards him, the prince looked rather amused. He was even smirking, and Red almost swore he could have heard him trying to hold back a snicker or two. Red absolutely hated that.

_ “Alright, touche. Now, I’m going to let go of you here in a moment, and I really hope you don’t decide to run or try and kill me again.” _

**“What? Why?” **

_ “Because you’ve been the only thing remotely interesting about tonight and honestly? I feel like you’d make an interesting conversation.” _

And after the prince finished speaking, he held true to his word and released his grip on Red. He didn’t get off him though, and that really seemed to irritate Red the most. The assassin however didn’t waste any time in his opportunity to scurry away and get some distance between the two of them. Red backed himself up against what felt like the edge of the prince’s bed, and the prince merely stayed where he was. There was a particularly tense silence between the two of them as they both just sat there, Red did look to be more on edge than the other though. He had no idea why he was staying, why he hadn’t tried to finish the job or just get the hell out of here. He still had gotten plenty of gold prior to the job, so getting his final payment wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. So why in the hell was he staying here?

“Alright, well, it’s nice to see you’re not making any rash decisions. Now, I have a few questions I’d like for you to answer for me.”

Red stayed silent, unsure really how to reply to that. He could only assume those questions would be about his client, and it was really a pretty big no no to talk about that to the mark said client wanted dead. But was he really in a position to refuse answering him that? The prince could easily have him killed, and for all Red knew this information was what was keeping him alive right now.

_ “I’ll uh, just take that silence as a ‘go right on ahead!’ and just start asking now. So, I’m sure you already guessed I’d ask this, but who hired you?” _

**“...I’m, not really sure.”**

_ “How are you not sure? You had to talk to them, in person, right?” _

**“Well, I mean, yes, but I didn’t even get a chance to see their face.”**

_ “Seriously?” _

**“Look, when someone’s handing you a huge ass bag of gold and giving you a target, you don’t really care what they look like.”**

_ “...Okay, that’s … fair I guess. You at least know what they sound like though, right?” _

**“How would knowing that help you figure out who they are?”**

_ “You’d be surprised.” _

**“Okay, uh … The only way I can really describe their voice is as the literal embodiment of nails running down a chalkboard.”**

_ “Oh, ew.” _

**“Right?”**

_ “Well, I don’t really know anyone who sounds like that. At least, not anyone I know who’d want me dead.” _

The prince let out a long sigh, finally moving and criss crossing his legs as he sat. He seemed rather annoyed by not getting a clear answer, and that kind of made Red nervous. The prince seemed to pick up on the others uneasiness though, giving him a curious glance as he seemed to ponder something.

**“So, um … Was that the only question you had?-** ” There wasn’t an immediate response after Red’s question, and that really made him uneasy. Was the prince just thinking of another question he could ask, and that’s why he wasn’t answering yet? Or was there something else on his mind? Something that most certainly wouldn’t end well for Red? Oh god he hated how quiet it got all of a sudden. Was the prince ever going to give him an answer?

_ “I guess, now that you bring it up, I do suppose I have one more question for you. Though I guess at this point it’s more of a proposition.” _

**“A … Proposition?”**

_ “Yes. Care to hear me out?” _

**“I uh … guess I don’t have much to lose if I do- What exactly did you, uh … have in mind?”**

_ “I’m glad you asked. Now I’m assuming you ever hired you paid you rather handsomely, correct? _

The prince paused, expecting an answer. Red was a little slow and almost a bit hesitant, but he eventually gave a slight nod.

_ “Right! So, if it’s gold you’re after, I can certainly match their payment, if not double it completely.” _

Well, now he was really starting to catch Red’s attention much better than before.

**“...Alright, and what exactly would you be paying me to do?”**

_ “Another great question! In short, in exchange for almost unlimited access to some of my funds, and as well as a room and full access to all the services in the castle, I simply ask that you live here with me, and keep me company whenever I desire.” _

Well, that was quite the conversational bombshell to drop. Red was absolutely speechless, unable to even think of how the hell he should respond to that. The prince already seemed to expect this kind of reaction, and sat with a rather patient expression as he watch the stunned assassin try to process what the  _ fuck  _ had just happened.

**“....I … I’m sorry, but you are aware I just tried killing you not even five minutes ago, right?-”**

_ “Yes, I’m not an idiot. Besides, you said it yourself. It wasn’t like it was anything personal.” _

Damn, using his own words against him, this prince was good.

**“Doesn’t inviting your assassin moments after a failed assassination seem a little quick though?? I mean, hell, I don’t even know your name!”**

_ “...Really? I’m the next in line to rule this kingdom, the man you were sent to kill, and you didn’t even bother to learn my name??” _

**“Listen, it wasn’t very high on my priority list.”**

_ “Alright, well, you can call me Purple then.” _

**“....That’s kind of a dumb name.”**

_ “Oh yeah? Then what’s your ‘oh so superior’ name? Huh?” _

**“You know what? Purple’s a great name, definitely one fit for a king.”**

_ “Oh no, flattery won’t get you out of this, you tell me your name right now.” _

**“...It’s Red-”**

_ “Wow, Red, I can  _ ** _clearly _ ** _ see how much of a better name than  _ ** _Purple_ ** _ it is, what an absolute fool I was for thinking I my name had any chance of standing up to yours.” _

**“I realized I fucked up here, now please for the love of god stop talking about it.”**

_ “Fine, but you agree to my proposal, right?” _

There was silence after that. Was he really being serious about all of this? Was it just some sort of disguised trick that would come back to bite him in the ass? Red had to admit, if Purple really was being serious it was a hell of a tempting offer. He just couldn’t help but think about what kind of hell this would cause him if the other was lying though. Could he still try running? And if he did, would he be able to make it out of this mess? There was too much buzzing in Red’s mind, he couldn’t think clearly.

_ “Well? I’d prefer to have an answer sometime before the sun rises Red.” _ Purple was looking right at him as he spoke, and in that moment there was just something about those harsh violet eyes that almost seemed soothing to Red.

**“Fine. I agree to your proposal.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: * receives a sliver of positive attention for this dumb story*  
Me, rubbing hands together like a fly: Alright boys, time to sit down for 2 hours and FOCUS on these gay dumbasses
> 
> Anyways- I'm glad people seem to like my extremely self indulgent idea for these two! I hope I can keep this bad boy going for a while!


End file.
